Downsides of Having a Home Track

mingham97
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mingham97
Edited Date/Time 9/21/2021 3:28pm
Hi guys,

What are the downsides to having your own track at home? Irrigation? Machine costs? Riding by yourself?

I am about to purchase 20 acres with the intent of building a home and a track and I don't want any remorse later because it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Cheers!
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-MAVERICK-
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-MAVERICK- 9/19/2021 8:32am
9/19/2021 8:32am
1- Make sure you're allowed to build one.

2- Maintenance.
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jbonemalone
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jbonemalone 9/19/2021 8:32am
9/19/2021 8:32am
Neighbors complain about anything . Erosion. Grass control. Water . Equipment useage. Oh and freeloaders.
Everyone wants to ride but nobody wants to help maintain.
Pluses, Friends that do help , ride anytime , know the track like the back of our hands, walk outside and go ride. How bad ass is that?
And if you can swing some sort of lighting setup!! Night riding is legit the best thing ever.
I did knock myself out one time a d woke up covered in ants. That kinda sucked.
The reality of it is you will have to maintain the track but the real work was always the areas not actually on the riding area. I mean like the infields and side of the jumps and areas between jumps.
Erosion control is absolutely a pain in the ass.
As the dirt gets pounded into a fine powder it just runs away in the rain.
Constant moving the soil back where you want it is a challenge.
The watering for a good days riding is arguably the most annoying thing. It makes the grass grow worse and aids in runoff as well.
Overall it’s worth it. I mean you will have times where you think no way man I’m done.
Then a few buddies show up and you have the most amazing day just ripping around your own track at your own property.
You make the rules, you are the king of the castle.
24
Moto520
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Moto520 9/19/2021 8:35am
9/19/2021 8:35am
Dream scenario for me
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cmotodad
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cmotodad 9/19/2021 8:36am
9/19/2021 8:36am
My neighbor has a small track. I work on it with him and it takes a good amount of time. The right machinery makes it much quicker, so you have more time to spend on the bike. Other than being able to ride without driving, I like a public track more than riding the same track all the time. JMO
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mingham97
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mingham97 9/19/2021 8:37am
9/19/2021 8:37am
-MAVERICK- wrote:
1- Make sure you're allowed to build one.

2- Maintenance.
Cheers Mav!
Unrelated question: Since when have you been employed by vital? I know you've been around for a while but the "Moderator" tag only became obvious when I saw your name come up in the various threads and articles surrounding the change of management. Good job on the gig
1
mingham97
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mingham97 9/19/2021 8:40am
9/19/2021 8:40am
jbonemalone wrote:
Neighbors complain about anything . Erosion. Grass control. Water . Equipment useage. Oh and freeloaders. Everyone wants to ride but nobody wants to help maintain. Pluses...
Neighbors complain about anything . Erosion. Grass control. Water . Equipment useage. Oh and freeloaders.
Everyone wants to ride but nobody wants to help maintain.
Pluses, Friends that do help , ride anytime , know the track like the back of our hands, walk outside and go ride. How bad ass is that?
And if you can swing some sort of lighting setup!! Night riding is legit the best thing ever.
I did knock myself out one time a d woke up covered in ants. That kinda sucked.
The reality of it is you will have to maintain the track but the real work was always the areas not actually on the riding area. I mean like the infields and side of the jumps and areas between jumps.
Erosion control is absolutely a pain in the ass.
As the dirt gets pounded into a fine powder it just runs away in the rain.
Constant moving the soil back where you want it is a challenge.
The watering for a good days riding is arguably the most annoying thing. It makes the grass grow worse and aids in runoff as well.
Overall it’s worth it. I mean you will have times where you think no way man I’m done.
Then a few buddies show up and you have the most amazing day just ripping around your own track at your own property.
You make the rules, you are the king of the castle.
Cheers for the comprehensive response. Does it work to have a "tip jar" for those wanting to come out and ride? I.e. $10 to go towards expenses?
4
jbonemalone
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jbonemalone 9/19/2021 8:45am
9/19/2021 8:45am Edited Date/Time 9/19/2021 8:46am
jbonemalone wrote:
Neighbors complain about anything . Erosion. Grass control. Water . Equipment useage. Oh and freeloaders. Everyone wants to ride but nobody wants to help maintain. Pluses...
Neighbors complain about anything . Erosion. Grass control. Water . Equipment useage. Oh and freeloaders.
Everyone wants to ride but nobody wants to help maintain.
Pluses, Friends that do help , ride anytime , know the track like the back of our hands, walk outside and go ride. How bad ass is that?
And if you can swing some sort of lighting setup!! Night riding is legit the best thing ever.
I did knock myself out one time a d woke up covered in ants. That kinda sucked.
The reality of it is you will have to maintain the track but the real work was always the areas not actually on the riding area. I mean like the infields and side of the jumps and areas between jumps.
Erosion control is absolutely a pain in the ass.
As the dirt gets pounded into a fine powder it just runs away in the rain.
Constant moving the soil back where you want it is a challenge.
The watering for a good days riding is arguably the most annoying thing. It makes the grass grow worse and aids in runoff as well.
Overall it’s worth it. I mean you will have times where you think no way man I’m done.
Then a few buddies show up and you have the most amazing day just ripping around your own track at your own property.
You make the rules, you are the king of the castle.
mingham97 wrote:
Cheers for the comprehensive response. Does it work to have a "tip jar" for those wanting to come out and ride? I.e. $10 to go towards...
Cheers for the comprehensive response. Does it work to have a "tip jar" for those wanting to come out and ride? I.e. $10 to go towards expenses?
I kinda want labor more than money😂
I have two friends that are like family I would never ask them for a penny because one guy brings a skid steer a few times a year and one dude is a grass cutting guy and has in the past had a crew come by and knock the grass down when I wasn’t home. That was a great surprise.
But those guys that just want to show up and ride I will ask for like hey man pour some of that gas into my mower or something like along those lines.
You have to be super careful about asking for money to ride and also who comes.
I don’t want a lawsuit if some squid cases a jump and breaks his ankles.
I’m so afraid of lawyers and losing everything that i won’t let many come really.
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vtec_
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vtec_ 9/19/2021 8:59am
9/19/2021 8:59am
not sure how things are in AUS but you might want to consider establising an LLC/corporation and keeping the assets of track under the umbrella of the legal business entity so you dont get sued and loose everything if someone gets hurt

dont let anyone ride for free unless they're family or close friends (like you've known them since elementary school)

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-MAVERICK-
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-MAVERICK- 9/19/2021 8:59am
9/19/2021 8:59am
mingham97 wrote:
Cheers Mav! Unrelated question: Since when have you been employed by vital? I know you've been around for a while but the "Moderator" tag only became...
Cheers Mav!
Unrelated question: Since when have you been employed by vital? I know you've been around for a while but the "Moderator" tag only became obvious when I saw your name come up in the various threads and articles surrounding the change of management. Good job on the gig
I think I've been a moderator since January of 2020, but I don't work for Vital.

It's a lot of work to have your own track, but if public tracks are far away, I think it's worth it. It easily allows you to ride during the week and on weekends you can have a quick ride session and move on to other activities. You don't have to plan a whole day around going riding.

Don't invest a lot of money into it until you're sure you won't get shut down.
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wiedeman
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wiedeman 9/19/2021 9:02am
9/19/2021 9:02am
if you have machinery, go for it. I built a decent size track with just a compact tractor, but if I were to do it again, I would rent a skidsteer or a dozer. Dust is the biggest issue at my track. I live in a pretty average area and get close to 30 inches of rain a year, but this year we have gotten like 6, and that has completely limited how much ive been able to ride. Maybe consider building your track around a low area like a pond or a swamp, and then pump the water from the pond onto the track when its extremely dry.
Pirate421
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Pirate421 9/19/2021 9:02am
9/19/2021 9:02am
My plan when I retire is to have a woods loop. Once you cut the trail in I think there’s less maintenance, knock the ruts down a few times a year and you can change it up every so often. No machines unless you can make a few “natural” jumps. Another plus is you technically don’t have an “mx” track so you can tell everyone it’s a mtn bike trail or for hiking.

That’s the woods and mtn bike rider in me though so if you’re an mx only person it’s more difficult. I’ve watched a few Tyler Monagan YouTube episodes though. He built a track and the town made him promptly take it down because of moving dirt and permits etc. also an mx track can be seen from the road and above, if you have the trails in the woods it’s less noticeable. Whenever I knew people with visible tracks at their house I just thought, there’s a billboard that says I have expensive stuff at my house!
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Suicidal_Tendencies 9/19/2021 9:08am
9/19/2021 9:08am
mingham97 wrote:
Hi guys, What are the downsides to having your own track at home? Irrigation? Machine costs? Riding by yourself? I am about to purchase 20 acres...
Hi guys,

What are the downsides to having your own track at home? Irrigation? Machine costs? Riding by yourself?

I am about to purchase 20 acres with the intent of building a home and a track and I don't want any remorse later because it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Cheers!
As mentioned, be careful who you let ride on the track since you could be held liable for any injuries that happen (at least here in the States, not sure about laws in Australia). Also, neighbors might give you a fuss if they can hear it. Best of luck, and if you decide to go with it, please share progress pics.
1
vtec_
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vtec_ 9/19/2021 9:14am
9/19/2021 9:14am
Pirate421 wrote:
My plan when I retire is to have a woods loop. Once you cut the trail in I think there’s less maintenance, knock the ruts down...
My plan when I retire is to have a woods loop. Once you cut the trail in I think there’s less maintenance, knock the ruts down a few times a year and you can change it up every so often. No machines unless you can make a few “natural” jumps. Another plus is you technically don’t have an “mx” track so you can tell everyone it’s a mtn bike trail or for hiking.

That’s the woods and mtn bike rider in me though so if you’re an mx only person it’s more difficult. I’ve watched a few Tyler Monagan YouTube episodes though. He built a track and the town made him promptly take it down because of moving dirt and permits etc. also an mx track can be seen from the road and above, if you have the trails in the woods it’s less noticeable. Whenever I knew people with visible tracks at their house I just thought, there’s a billboard that says I have expensive stuff at my house!
i grew up in teh northeast and used to ride hybrid woods tracks all the times, sometimes id make them myself in the sandpits near my house!!

the only downside with them is trees and if you make a mistake it could be bad
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JTM5427
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JTM5427 9/19/2021 9:16am
9/19/2021 9:16am
Best advice I could give apart from what everyone else is saying is to build the track so you can run it forwards or backwards. Helps with keeping some variety and not getting bored of the track when you can run it either way.
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murph783
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murph783 9/19/2021 11:28am
9/19/2021 11:28am
-MAVERICK- wrote:
1- Make sure you're allowed to build one.

2- Maintenance.
3- insurance

Had a buddy get sued for a very substantial amount even with waivers in place and signed, and then another have his homeowners insurance drop him when they came out and realized he had one. Bad news bears. If you get the proper insurance it’s stupid expensive
1
JOE_SPROCKETS#1 9/19/2021 11:42am
9/19/2021 11:42am
I have a little loop in my front yard for fun when I’m done mowing grass or something and just want to run a 30 min session or something. Rarely anyone comes over but I let buddies ride me spare bikes occasionally or friends kids ride the four wheeler around it while we cook out sonits pretty nice. Mowing around it can be a headache due to big rocks in the PA soil though.

Pit Row

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Holigan
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Holigan 9/19/2021 11:45am
9/19/2021 11:45am
Neighbors within a one mile radius complain constantly and call the county sheriff repeatedly.
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plowboy
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plowboy 9/19/2021 12:45pm
9/19/2021 12:45pm
As others have said...the liability of letting others ride is huge. If your best friend augers in and he would never even think of suing you...if the med bills are big enough his insurance company will go after you regardless. If you have neighbors downwind...they WILL complain about noise and/or dust...count on it. Maintenance will cost three times more than you predict. On the plus side...riding out of the garage straight to the track is a dream for any dirt biker. Go for it.
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SCC
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SCC 9/19/2021 12:53pm
9/19/2021 12:53pm
$35 for a groomed and watered actual track is a steal. Show up and ride for 6hrs. You will spend 6hrs working on your own track and $200 every time you ride. Why?
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vtec_
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vtec_ 9/19/2021 1:13pm
9/19/2021 1:13pm
mingham97 wrote:
Looks like dreamland? [embed][/embed]
Looks like dreamland?

dreamland is in FL i believe, not NC
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vtec_
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vtec_ 9/19/2021 1:14pm
9/19/2021 1:14pm
SCC wrote:
$35 for a groomed and watered actual track is a steal. Show up and ride for 6hrs. You will spend 6hrs working on your own track...
$35 for a groomed and watered actual track is a steal. Show up and ride for 6hrs. You will spend 6hrs working on your own track and $200 every time you ride. Why?
this.

and this is why i love capitalism lol
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SEMAC
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SEMAC 9/19/2021 1:40pm
9/19/2021 1:40pm
In México You can do What ever You want,no special permits or people sueing You,we had one in front of our house for years,here ir rains a Lot,so no problema with dust
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ElliotB16
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ElliotB16 9/19/2021 1:52pm
9/19/2021 1:52pm
This year has been more rain than usual. Lots of erosion repair and mowing this year 😠
Zycki11
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Zycki11 9/19/2021 2:06pm
9/19/2021 2:06pm
Don’t build it on your homes acreage. Buy a different plot of land and those you allow to ride with you have to pitch in. Keep pesticides readily on hand as they really help with the trimming aspect. Also a skid steer is your best friend. If you build a track remember to build up and no into the land. Plan out water capture points. The only thing better than owning your own track is a friend who owns one.
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FolkLoar
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FolkLoar 9/19/2021 2:38pm
9/19/2021 2:38pm Edited Date/Time 9/19/2021 2:39pm
mingham97 wrote:
Looks like dreamland? [embed][/embed]
Looks like dreamland?

vtec_ wrote:
dreamland is in FL i believe, not NC
This is the old JGR track.. Look at the name of listing agent
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flarider
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flarider 9/19/2021 2:40pm
9/19/2021 2:40pm
You will both make friends and lose friends

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chump6784
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chump6784 9/19/2021 2:56pm
9/19/2021 2:56pm
I have a mate with a track at his place. It is in a flat paddock and the only jump consists of an up ramp coming out of the creek bed and landing to flat and there is one berm that he pushed up. It has tight second gear corners to a 4th gear wide open straight on a 450 and my riding has improved heaps since riding there. We ride there nearly every weekend, myself and him on 450's, couple of kids on 65's and 85's and the occasional other big bike. He also leases the land out to a cattle farmer. Maintenance wise the cows keep the grass down, every now and then he runs his bobcat over the track to flatten the ruts and braking/acceleration bumps and every morning we walk a lap of the track and scoop the cow shit off.
We haven't had rain for a while so yesterday was dusty but normally it's not too bad and somehow none of his neighbours have complained about noise.
Some councils have a rule about how much dirt you can move before you need a permit
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